By Dr. Sarah J. Cutler Artwork by Justin Negard One of the responsibilities we humans have as caretakers of pets is caring for our pets in their last chapter. Often, our pets’ lives are shorter than ours, and we humans must make decisions about the best way to care for our aging pets, including deciding when it’s time to say ...

Writing by Sarah J. Cutler, VMD Artwork by Justin Negard It’s fun to shop for your pets, but sometimes the best gifts can be what you do for your pet. Making your own gifts or giving your pet the gift of your time are great ways to celebrate the holidays with them. Create gifts that help them explore Treasure hunts ...

Writing by Dr. Sarah J. Cutler Beautiful Northern Westchester is full of parks and nature trails, and one of the great pleasures of taking care of a pet dog is to go for a walk together. Our canine companions benefit from strolling and sniffing, collecting information as they go through their amazing noses. It’s great enrichment for them, great bonding ...

By Dr. Sarah J. Cutler Artwork by Cara McPartland You fancy felines, but you don’t love the tattered and shredded furniture from your cat sharpening their claws. Our domestic house cats (Felis Silvestris Catus) are descended from the African Wild Cat, Felis Silvestris Lybica. To defend themselves in the wild and hunt for their meals, they are equipped with a ...

Writing by Dr. Sarah J. Cutler Artwork by Zoe Stevens Were’s a riddle for you: What is difficult to imagine but impossible to forget? The answer: a natural disaster. hen my children were young, one of their favorite books was “Chewy Louie” by Howie Schneider. The story is about a family who brings a scruffy puppy named Louie into their home ...

Writing by Dr. Sarah J. Cutler Artwork by Monique Ford If we are lucky, our pet dogs live until they are eight, 10 or 16 years old. We start using the descriptive term “senior” around eight years of age, although, sadly, some giant breeds may begin this phase of life as early as age five. This “senior” time period can ...

Writing by Dr. Sarah J. Cutler Felines are fantastic friends. They’re the cat’s meow, if you will.  While there are millions of cats in the U.S., no two are the same, and there is a wide range of temperaments and physical attributes. Still, most cats have retained much of the instinctual behaviors and physical attributes of their wild ancestor, Felis ...

Writing  by Dr. Sarah J. Cutler Pining for a pup and don’t know where to turn? Here are some helpful tips & resources. Did you know that in 2022 New York became the sixth state in the U.S. to prohibit the sale of puppies in pet stores?  This was great news for those of us in the canine community because ...

by Dr. Sarah J. Cutler Dogs have evolved alongside humans for thousands of years.  We’ve bred them to work for us: herding, hunting, guarding, policing, sniffing out drugs and disease, working in search and rescue, and serving people with physical or mental health conditions.  However, most dogs in the United States are companions and treated like family members.   Some dogs ...

It’s a stormy night, so you settle in for an evening movie. But where’s your dog? Are they cowering in the bathroom and trembling behind the toilet, pacing around the house or tearing up a pillow? While you may find their behavior unusual, these reactions to storms, and to daily household noises, can be common for dogs. Noise sensitivity occurs ...

Summer heat can be hard to bear, especially for our furry friends. While us humans can just go inside, sit in front of the AC and down a cold drink, our pets rely on us for their comfort and safety. In these dog days of summer, it’s especially important to pay close attention to your pet’s behavior and be wary ...